


A Few Days

by accidentallyonpurpose



Series: The Light Of My Life [4]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Baby, Concussions, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Father Mycroft, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic, M/M, Morning Cuddles, Mycroft Feels, Sad, So Does Greg, jackie has a tough time of it, mycroft has to leave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-10-15 22:11:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10558522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/accidentallyonpurpose/pseuds/accidentallyonpurpose
Summary: Mycroft has to leave on a mission for a few days. Greg and Jackie take it pretty hard.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks Lizlemler for the idea!

Ring. Ring. Ring.  
Greg groaned and rolled over in bed, slapping at his alarm clock in the hopes of ending the annoying noise. When the noise didn’t stop, Greg propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at Mycroft. He was sleeping peacefully, mouth slightly open and hand tangled in Greg’s shirt. Greg sighed, hating that he had to wake Mycroft up.  
“Love,” he said, gently taking the hand wrapped in his shirt and shaking it. Mycroft’s brow furrowed and he jerked awake, sitting up and pulling Greg with him. “Whoa! Easy there, love. I was just waking you because your phone is ringing.”  
Mycroft sighed and sat up, pulling his hand out of Greg’s and rubbing his face. Reaching to his bedside table, he picked up his phone and jabbed the green button.  
“Holmes speaking,” he said into it, sounding a lot more composed than he looked. He listened for a moment. “Have you tried-“ Mycroft closed his eyes. “Yes, alright what about the other one?” Mycroft threw back the blankets and crawled out of bed, walking out of the bedroom and presumably into the home office. Greg watched him leave, sighing as he watched their day off slip away from them. They could usually manage full weekends off or at least one day of the weekend, but Mycroft had been holed up in his office most of Saturday, and it looked like he would be there again today. Greg looked over at his bedside table, simultaneously noting that it was too early in the morning to be thinking about anything and that the baby monitor was turned on, as he was now on active baby duty. He closed his eyes, figuring that even if he couldn’t have a lie-in with Mycroft, he would at least sleep until Jackie was awake. 

Greg was awoken by Mycroft gently shaking his shoulder a while later.  
“Gregory,” he said gently, sitting on the edge of the bed.  
“Hey,” Greg said groggily, pulling Mycroft down for a sleepy kiss. “All done?”  
“Unfortunately not,” Mycroft said softly. He bit his lip, looking into Greg’s eyes. “It seems I will have to deal with some matters myself.”  
“In the office?” Greg asked.  
Mycroft hesitated. “No. I will be leaving the country.”  
“Oh.” Greg nodded. They had briefly talked in the past few months about the fact that Mycroft might have to leave at some point, but facing it made it seem that much more real. “Okay, um, when do you leave?”  
“Noon.”  
“Okay. You have to pack I assume?”  
“Yes, but I’d also like to spend as much time with you and Jackie as possible.”  
“I’ll go get her then, and we’ll stay in here with you while you pack. And then we can have a family breakfast. Sound good?” Greg had slipped into survival mode, hoping to make the best of the little time they had left.  
“Yes, thank you,” Mycroft touched his forehead to Greg’s, overcome with gratitude at how well his partner was taking this. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy for Greg to be on his own for the next couple of days, and was grateful that he wasn’t being difficult about it.  
Greg touched his lips softly to Mycroft’s, pouring all the love and understanding that he could into it. He snaked his hand around Mycroft’s neck, pulling him closer.  
They were interrupted by a squawk on the baby monitor.  
“That’s my cue,” Greg chuckled, pulling away from Mycroft. “I’ll be right back.”  
“Okay.”  
Greg left the room, quickly moving into Jackie’s room.  
“Hello, love, did you have a good sleep?” Greg reached into the cot and pulled Jackie out. Jackie babbled happily at him. “Yes, hello. Someone needs a change.” Greg carried Jackie over to the changing table and unsnapped her baby-gro, quickly changing her nappy and re-buttoning the baby-gro. “Okay, off we go.”  
Greg brought her back into the bedroom, where Mycroft had laid several suits into a garment bag and had a small suitcase packed.  
“You work fast,” Greg said as he perched on the edge of the bed, placing Jackie down on the bed in front of him.  
“It’s not my first time. I’m quite practiced at this.”  
“Right.” Greg winced slightly at the reminder of how much Mycroft had to jet away and put himself in danger. “You go away often, then.” It was more of a statement than a question.  
“I used to,” Mycroft agreed. “Less so in the past couple of years. I’ve been training others to go in my place. Now, I’m only called in as a last resort. That’s become even more important since I got her,” Mycroft nodded at Jackie, who had crawled over to the suitcase and was peering in. “And since I got you,” he added shyly, peering up at Greg from beneath his lashes.  
Greg felt his mouth quirk even as a curious pressure appeared behind his eyes. Clearing his suddenly thick throat, Greg looked away momentarily before flicking his eyes back to Mycroft. “Right. Well, if you’re almost done here I’ll go get breakfast on.”  
“Jackie and I will be through in a minute.”  
Greg stood and moved around the bed, laying a hand on Mycroft’s hip and pulling him in for a brief kiss.  
“See you in a few.”  
With that he left the room, leaving Mycroft with Jackie and his thoughts. Mycroft went to his closet and pulled out the pre-packed toiletry bag that he kept there. He threw it into his suitcase, careful not to hit Jackie, who had leaned forward so that she was practically inside the suitcase.  
“You want to come with me?” he asked, chuckling a little. “I wish you could too, my love.” Mycroft fished her out from the suitcase, kissing the top of her forehead as he brought her close. He swallowed around the lump forming in his throat, looking down at her.  
“Dada,” she said, reaching forward and grabbing his nose, grinning toothily.  
“Yes, it’s me,” Mycroft said softly. “Hello.”  
Jackie patted his cheek, mumbling softly to herself.  
“Ready for breakfast?” he asked.  
“Num!”  
“Yes, num,” he said with a chuckle. He carried her out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, where Greg was at the stove, scrambling eggs. A pan of bacon was sizzling beside him.  
“If you want to get her set up in her high chair, I’m almost done here,” Greg said.  
“Sure.” Mycroft went to the high chair, which had taken permanent residence at the head of the table, and slid Jackie into it. He grabbed a bib from a drawer and snapped it around Jackie’s neck. She sat contently, watching Greg and Mycroft move around the kitchen.  
“Aright, here we go,” Greg said as he brought two plates to the table, laying them on either side of Jackie. He went back and got the plastic plate that held a smaller portion of scrambled eggs and toast. Laying it on the tray of her high chair, Greg sat down beside her, picking up his cutlery and tucking into his own plate. Mycroft made sure Jackie was situated with her plastic spoon before he sat down on Jackie’s other side, across from Greg, and tucked into his own plate. Jackie clumsily took her spoon in hand and scooped up a bit of egg, bringing it to her mouth and managing to make most of it stay in her mouth. She waved her spoon in victory, spattering Greg with a bit of leftover egg.  
“Keep your breakfast to yourself,” he said, chuckling. Jackie seemed undisturbed, happily going in for another bite of egg. Greg slid his hand silently across the table, palm up. Mycroft glanced up from his own plate, pausing for a moment before sliding his hand into Greg’s, squeezing.  
“Do you know how long?” Greg asked him quietly.  
“No,” Mycroft murmured. “Hopefully not more than a few days. A week at most.”  
Greg silently nodded, scooping up a bit of eggs and the putting his fork down, biting into a piece of bacon. They finished eating in silence, hands never parting. Jackie finished her breakfast, most of it ending up on her rather than in her.  
“I’ll grab the dishes. You clean her up,” Greg said, gathering the plates and heading towards the sink. Mycroft pulled Jackie out of the high chair, clucking at the scrambled eggs that had stuck in her hair. He brought her to the bathroom, where he sat her on the counter and wet a washcloth. He ran it over her face and hands before scrubbing it over her hair, managing to work out most of the scrambled eggs.  
“There you go, good as new,” he said, kissing Jackie on the forehead before scooping her up and bringing her back to the kitchen. She babbled happily in his arms, exclaiming when she saw Greg at the sink.  
“Pa!” Greg turned and grinned at the pair of them.  
“Yes, there’s papa. You’re going to spending a lot of time with him this week, my love.” Mycroft brought her close and nuzzled into her hair. “If we ask nice enough, Papa might be willing to come spend time with us before daddy has to leave.”  
Greg wiped his hands on a dishtowel before crossing the kitchen to join them at the door. “Of course.” He wrapped his arms around both of them for a moment. “Sitting room?”  
“Yes,” Mycroft answered. They moved into the room and Mycroft put Jackie down on the rug in the middle of the room. He went over to her toy box and pulled out some toys for them to play with. The three of them played for the next couple of hours, Mycroft and Greg resolutely avoiding mentioning the fact that Mycroft would be leaving soon. 

All too soon it was time for Mycroft to leave.  
“Well, it’s time,” Mycroft said standing, looking down at his buzzing phone screen. “My driver’s here.”  
Greg nodded from his place on the floor, scooping up Jackie and standing, holding her out to Mycroft.  
“Okay.” His throat had suddenly gotten a lot scratchier. “I’ll go get your bags.” Greg ran to the bedroom and grabbed Mycroft’s suitcase and garment bag. He hurried back out to the sitting room, where Mycroft was bent over with his nose pressed to Jackie’s curly hair.  
“I wish I wasn’t leaving so suddenly,” Mycroft said as he heard Greg drop his suitcase at the front door.  
“I know, love,” Greg said, coming up being Mycroft and placing one hand on his back. “We knew you’d have to leave eventually.”  
“That doesn’t make it any easier.”  
“No, it doesn’t.” Greg leaned his forehead against Mycroft’s shoulder, trying to radiate strength and comfort. Mycroft sniffed quietly before taking a deep breath and lifting his head.  
“Time for me to go.” His eyes were rimmed red as he handed Jackie to Greg.  
“Okay,” Greg took Jackie, sitting her on his hip. They walked to the front door, both dragging their feet. “It’ll feel like no time before you’re back,” Greg said as Mycroft put his jacket on. “I’ll miss you.” Greg wrapped the arm that wasn’t holding Jackie around Mycroft’s middle, pulling him close and burying his nose in Mycroft’s shoulder.  
Mycroft wrapped both his arms tightly around the both of them, “I’ll miss you too, It’ll only be a few days, if I can help it.”  
He pulled back so that Greg could look him in the face. He slid one hand up to cup the back of Greg’s head and brought their lips together, strong but gentle. They kissed for what seemed simultaneously like a second and eternity, but eventually Mycroft pulled away. Greg felt a tear slip down his cheek and chuckled deprecatingly.  
“I don’t know why I’m crying,” he said as he wiped the tear away. “I know you’ll be back.”  
“I will. I promise.” Mycroft pecked him on the lips once more. As he pulled away, his Iceman mask snapped into place. He nodded once, picked up his bags, seemed to debate a moment more. He leaned in and kissed Jackie on the forehead before turning and stalking out the door, not looking back. Greg closed the door behind him, another tear running down his cheek.  
“Dada?” Jackie looked at the door that Greg had closed. She looked at Greg, her lower lip trembling. “Dada?” She placed her hand on Greg’s face. “Dada,” she said sadly, placing her hand in the tear track. Then her mouth fell open and she let out a heartfelt wail. “Dada!” she sobbed.


	2. Getting through

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg distracts Jackie for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say, except life has been crazy hectic busy? A month later, but I've finally finished the next chapter. I'd like to say I might be able to update relatively soon, but I can't promise anything. Thanks for reading!

“Shhhh Jackie.”  
Greg rubbed Jackie’s back soothingly, pacing back and forth in the sitting room. It had only been a few minutes since Mycroft had left, but Jackie screamed as if he was never returning. Greg was perplexed by the intensity of her upset. Although Mycroft brought her to work with him three days a week, she spent the other two in a daycare; this was not the first time she had been separated from him. Perhaps it was the location- Mycroft rarely, if ever, left the house without her. Even on daycare days, he was the one to drop her off, sometimes accompanied by Greg, and often the one to pick her up. Greg wasn’t sure she even fully comprehended what was happening, which was what made this even more confusing. She couldn’t know that Mycroft wouldn’t be returning soon. But somehow, it seemed she did, and she was working herself into an unnecessary amount of distress.   
“It’s okay,” he said softly, wiping away the few tears that had fallen as he’d watched Mycroft leave. He took a deep breath, calming himself and hoping it would do the same with Jackie. As he took another deep breath, he felt Jackie’s body relax slightly and her screams turned into sobs. “There we go,” he said encouragingly. “We’re okay. It’s you and me, but just for a couple days.” Greg shushed quietly in her ear as her sobs turned to whimpers. “Good girl.” Slowly she stopped crying, although she didn’t seem convinced that that was the right course of action. Her head rested in the crook between Greg’s shoulder and neck, now damp with her snot and tears. Greg cradled her close, letting her settle. When he felt her breathing evening out, he moved into her bedroom. Pulling her away from his neck, Greg cradled her carefully, trying to softly lay her in her cot. As soon as he got halfway to putting her in, Jackie opened her eyes accusingly and whimpered.   
“Okay, never mind,” he said, cradling her close in the crook of his arm. She was a little big for the position, but Greg wasn’t risking having her upset again. “You just take a nap, okay? You’ve tired yourself out.” Greg carried her out into the kitchen, where he fixed himself a quick tea and toast. Carrying the snack through to the sitting room, Greg sat on the sofa, repositioning Jackie so that she was settled comfortably in his arms. Reaching over, he grabbed a tissue off the side table and wiped gently at Jackie’s face, clearing away the tears and snot. Then he settled in, content to watch the telly and wait for Jackie to wake from her nap. 

Jackie woke an hour later, mouth moued and brows furrowed. “Hey, grumpy,” Greg greeted her, sitting her up.   
“Pa,” she said. “Num.”  
“Okay, let’s grab you a snack,” Greg said, picking her up and carrying her into the kitchen. “How about some cookies?”  
“’Kies!” Jackie repeated, nodding. Greg opened the cupboard and brought down the pack, opening it one-handed and taking out a few.   
“There, love,” Greg said, handing her one and keeping the rest in his hand. He moved back into the sitting room, turning the telly to a kid friendly program and letting Jackie munch happily on her cookie.   
They stayed mostly in the sitting room the rest of the day, alternately watching telly and playing with Jackie’s toys on the floor. When it was time for bed, Greg picked Jackie up and carried her into the bathroom for her nighttime bath. This would be one of the few times Greg would be doing her nighttime routine alone.   
“Time for a bath,” Greg sing-songed as he sat her on the bathroom counter, quickly stripping her of all clothes but her nappy. He then put her on the ground and turned the tap in the bath, making sure the water was lukewarm. He put a few of her bath toys on the floor in front of her and crouched down, picking up a whale and booping her nose with it.   
He distracted her until the bathwater was at the right height and then got her out of her nappy and into the water. Jackie happily sat in the tub, splashing her hands in the water and sending little fountains of water up around her.   
The bath was finished with Greg only getting minimally splashed and managing to get Jackie clean without much fuss. She also left the bath easily, chatting to Greg as he dried her off and dressed her for bed.   
It was when he tried to put her down that things started to go wrong. He had read her a story, rocked her in the rocking chair in the corner and was going to put her into her cot when she started whining.   
Greg sighed. He knew his luck wouldn’t last.  
“Da?” Jackie whimpered, letting out a little sob at the end.  
“Daddy’s not home. It’s just you and me,” he whispered, gently bouncing Jackie up and down in his arms. “Shhh, it’s okay,” he said softly as she continued to cry. He continued rocking her side to side until her eyes started to close, little hiccups disrupting her every so often. “Here we go,” he extended his arms again, but as soon as she was separated from his body heat, Jackie opened her eyes and started to whimper. “We’ve got to do this,” Greg told her quietly but firmly, laying her in the cot. He couldn’t abandon her, though, and lay his hand on her stomach, rubbing and shushing her gently. He sang an old lullaby softly, continuing to rub her tummy. Slowly, Jackie quieted, her eyes glued to Greg until they went unfocused, and finally closed. Greg stayed by her side for a few more minutes until he was sure she was asleep. Slowly creeping out of the bedroom, he quietly got changed and ready for bed. He crawled into the cold, empty bed and curled on his side, one hand reaching out to the empty space beside him.

Greg woke halfway through the night to the sound of Jackie’s cries through the monitor. Sighing, he got up and went into her bedroom. “Hello, love,” Greg said, reaching and picking her up. He quickly checked her nappy and found it wet. He shushed at her soothingly as he lay her on the changing table. He quickly changed her and then picked her back up, rocking her from side to side slowly. He stayed there for an hour, tiredly rocking and shushing and singing until she finally drifted back to sleep.

Greg woke for the second time to the sound of his alarm blaring. He groaned, rubbing his face and sighing. Pulling himself out of bed, Greg scooped up the baby monitor and made his way into the bathroom, where he grabbed a quick shower. By the time he was toweling off, he could hear little murmurs coming from the baby monitor. He made his way into Jackie’s bedroom, where he was greeted with a smile and a wave.   
“Pa!”   
“Hello, love, how are you?” He reached in and pulled her out of her cot. Her nappy was dry, so he moved straight into the kitchen with her.   
“Pa, pa, pa!” she continued, watching Greg as he put her in her high chair. “Da?” she asked, suddenly remembering someone was missing.   
“Da’s still gone,” Greg said softly. “Hopefully he won’t be gone too long. Until then, you’re stuck with me I’m afraid,” Greg said, sounding falsely cheerful in the hopes of diverting more tears. Jackie’s lower lip started to tremble and Greg picked hastily dumped a few utensils on the tray of her high chair, distracting her long enough for her to forget she was upset.   
Greg quickly made breakfast for both of them, chattering absently to Jackie as he did so.   
“There you go,” he said, putting a small plate of cut up apples in front of her. While she entertained herself alternately eating and throwing the apple, Greg scarfed down his own meal. Then, he made a small bowl of oatmeal and fed it to her spoonful by spoonful. He was proud at how clean they both stayed, only needing to do a cursory wipe down of Jackie’s face and hands by the end of it. Then, it was off to get them both changed and ready for the day.   
When they were both ready to go, Greg grabbed Jackie’s little backpack and his own work bag and left the house, Jackie sat on his arm. The daycare they brought Jackie to was a fifteen-minute walk from their flat, so Greg decided to go it by foot. He figured the fresh air would do both of them good. Looking at his watch, Greg realized he had a little bit of extra time and put Jackie down on the ground and let her toddle along beside him, little hands wrapped around his fingers. She grinned up at him, walking along and looking at all the buildings around her. She got distracted by a pigeon that was pecking at some discarded chips on the ground and let go of Greg’s hands in order to get a better look. Stumbling over, she crouched down, curly head getting dangerously close to the bird.   
“Don’t get too close, Jackie,” Greg called as he followed behind her.  
“Bird!” she said, pointing at the pigeon and practically poking it in the eye.   
“Yes, a nice bird that is probably carrying a slew of diseases,” Greg said under his breath before crouching down beside Jackie. “That’s a pigeon,” he said to her, gently grabbing her around the waist to back her up a step. “We can look, but we can’t touch, alright?”   
She hummed sagely in response.   
“Good girl,” They sat watching the pigeon for a few more minutes.  
“Okay!” Jackie said eventually, standing up straight and starting to toddle down the street once more.  
“Okay,” Greg agreed, chuckling and grabbing one of her hands. They walked hand in hand for a few blocks before Jackie pulled on his hand.   
“Up,” she said.   
“Tired already?” Greg chuckled, picking her up and propping her on his arm once more. “Only a few more blocks.” Greg continued to point at plants and birds as they walked, naming everything that he or Jackie pointed at.   
When they reached the daycare, Greg opened the door and stepped inside.   
“Hello Jackie!” A young woman with blonde hair braided over her shoulder greeted them from the front desk. “Oh, and Greg! It’s good to see you!” There had been a busy spell at work the past couple of weeks, keeping Greg from accompanying Mycroft and Jackie to the daycare in the mornings.   
“Mycroft’s out of town for a while, so I’ll be dropping her off,” Greg said as he put Jackie down on the ground. “She’ll also be here everyday this week, if that’s alright?”  
“Of course, we love having Jackie here,” the woman answered. “Well, time to say bye Jackie.”   
“Bah, Pa,” Jackie said, wrapping her little arms around Greg’s knees.   
“Bye, love. I’ll see you tonight.” Greg knelt down and laid a kiss on the top of her head before handing her backpack over to the woman and walking out the door. He was thankful there hadn’t been any tears from Jackie. He didn’t think he could handle tears this morning.   
Greg made his way quickly to work, taking the Tube as he usually did. He was distracted as he walked into Scotland Yard, his mind wandering to Mycroft and how he was doing. These thoughts led to thoughts of how lonely the flat felt without Mycroft in it.   
“Hey, Boss,” Sally greeted him as he walked by her desk.   
“Hey Sally, how’s it going?”  
“Not too bad. You don’t look so great, though. Late night last night?” she asked with a mischievous grin.   
“Mycroft had to leave the country for business yesterday,” he said. “Jackie had a tough time getting to sleep last night.”  
“Ah, sorry,” Sally said. “Well, we got results back on the Johnston case, and a warrant to search his house. Is that enough of a distraction for you?”  
“That’s exactly what I need,” he responded, a grin splitting his face. “Let’s go.” They got into the car, Sally letting Greg drive to the address. The traffic was light, them having just missed the morning rush hour and they reached their destination quickly.   
They walked up to the door, Greg in the lead. It was a small condo-style house with a well-groomed front lawn and fresh coat of paint.   
Greg knocked on the door then stepped back, waiting. It took a few moments, and then a woman in a dressing gown cracked open the door.  
“Can I help you?”   
“We’re here about the death of George Johnston. Are you Ms. Whitaker?”   
“I am. I don’t know anyone by the name of George Johnston,” she said, starting to close her door.   
“We have a warrant,” Greg said, placing his hand on the door to prevent her from closing it.   
Ms. Whitaker paused for a moment before opening the door a little more.  
“What did you want to ask, then?”  
“May we come in?”  
“Well I suppose you have a warrant, so I have to let you in.”  
“Quite,” Sally answered from behind him. Ms. Whitaker opened the door further, letting them in reluctantly.   
“Where were you on the night of George’s murder?” Greg asked as he entered into the house.   
“Would you mind if I get dressed before you start questioning me?” Ms. Whitaker asked caustically.   
“No please, go ahead,” Greg said. “We’ll just wait here.”   
Ms. Whitaker turned on her heel and stalked down the hall. Greg shot a look at Sally before moving into the sitting room, noticing the framed photos on the mantelpiece and hung on the wall. He turned to Sally to point out a theme in all the photos when he felt and heard a dull thud resonate through his skull. His forehead bashed into one of the frames on the wall, and Greg blacked out momentarily, coming around a few seconds later on the floor. He could hear Sally shouting and looked over to see her cuffing Ms. Whitaker, who was still in her robe. He noticed that her robe had a small tear in one corner, and that it was a garish shade of pink. He remembered flowers from his mother’s garden that were that shade of pink, and how he had been stung by a bee once that came from a flower of that colour. He vaguely registered his name being called and struggled to focus, zoning in once more on the pair in front of him.   
Sally. Sally was calling his name.   
“Hm?” he hummed.   
“Can you hear me?”  
“Hmm,” he answered. Forming words seemed too hard.   
“Ah, shit, I’m going to have to call an ambulance,” she muttered. “Thanks for that,” she sniped at the woman in handcuffs. “Stay there, boss,” she said directing it at Greg, who had spaced out once more. She quickly bustled the woman into the back of the police car and radioed for an ambulance, before going back inside and crouching beside Greg.   
“Boss, we’re going to stay here until the ambulance comes, okay?”   
Greg looked blearily at her before blinking once.   
“’Kay.” He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall.  
“No sleeping,” Sally said, grabbing his arm and roughly shaking it.   
“Nope,” he said, not opening his eyes.   
Sally tapped her hand against the side of Greg’s face. “Open your eyes.”  
Greg opened his eyes and squinted, nose crinkling.   
“World’s spinning,” he mumbled before turning green, leaning over and vomiting beside Sally.   
“Oh, fuck,” Sally said. “That’s not good.” Thankfully, she could hear the wail of ambulance sirens in the distance. It only took a few moments before the EMTs were running through the open door.   
“Head injury and concussion,” Sally said without preamble. “Hit over the head with that.” She pointed to a small brass statue that was laying on the ground, a bit of blood crusted on it. “He’s bleary and he vomited a few minutes ago.”  
“We’re going to take him to A&E. Does he have any family you can contact?”  
“Yeah, I’ll contact them after I get her booked,” Sally nodded toward the police car. She was already not looking forward to the phone call she would be having with Sherlock.


	3. Hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg wakes in the hospital.

Greg woke to the smell of anti-septic and bleach, his nose itching. His head felt like it was being split in two from the inside out, and trying to open his eyes only brought more pain. Groggily memories started to float back to the surface; dropping Jackie off at daycare, going to a house, and then nothing. He kept his eyes closed as he tried to get his bearings before panic lanced through him.  
Jackie.  
He didn’t know where Jackie was. His eyes flew open despite the nauseating pain and he tried to sit up, but was knocked back by the dizziness that overtook him.   
“Lestrade?” a voice came from beside him. Greg turned his head carefully and was greeted by the sight of Sherlock sat in a plastic chair, Jackie on his lap and John beside him.   
“Thank god,” he rasped as he took in the sight of Jackie safe and sound. John reached for a glass of water on the bedside table and lifted it, straw pointed in Greg’s direction. Greg leaned forward and gratefully wrapped his lips around the straw, sucking water down. “How long?”   
“Only a couple of hours. You’ve been in and out of consciousness since they got you to the hospital.”  
Greg sluggishly processed the information.  
“How did you get Jackie?”  
“Mycroft has us on the approved pickup list at the daycare.”   
“Mycroft?” Greg asked, suddenly remembering why he was in charge of Jackie in the first place.   
“Sherlock texted Anthea, who said she would let him know as soon as she could.”   
Guilt filled Greg’s chest. “No, no, I don’t want to worry him,” Greg said, shaking his head. “Tell Anthea not to tell him that I’m hurt.”   
Sherlock raised an eyebrow. “I am not going to do that. Besides, Anthea would not listen if I tried.”  
Greg let his head fall back onto the pillow and sighed in defeat. “Fine.” He winced against the sharp pain in his head. “So, doc, what’s the verdict?”  
“Concussion and minor head laceration,” John answered. “You’ll be here overnight for observation, and if all goes well we may be able to have you released into my care by tomorrow afternoon.”  
“You really don’t need to worry about me.” Greg felt silly for letting Ms. Whitaker get the best of him. He shouldn’t have turned his back on her, and he didn’t want John ad Sherlock to have to worry themselves over him. “Just leave Jackie here on the bed and we’ll be fine.”  
“Like Hell,” John said easily, leaning back in his chair. “You’re stuck with us, mate. Until you’re healed, or until Mycroft gets back. Whichever comes first.”  
Greg’s hand came up to cover his eyes and he groaned.   
“You couldn’t have seen her coming,” Sherlock said after a moment, eyes locked on Jackie in his lap. “There was no indication she would attack.”  
“How do you know that?” Greg asked from behind his hand.  
“I may have swung by the crime scene before joining John here at the hospital,” he replied nonchalantly. “Obviously, if you had brought me on this case, this wouldn’t have happened, but you did well, considering.”   
“Thanks, Sherlock,” Greg chuckled drily from behind his hand. After a moment he dropped his hand to the bed, looking once more over at Sherlock and John. “Can I hold her?”  
“Can you sit without passing out?” John countered.  
“Let’s find out.” Greg reached for the remote on the side of his bed and pressed the up button, slowly raising his bed into a sitting position. “So far so good.” He reached his arms out. “Please.”  
Sherlock carefully handed Jackie over, hovering by the bed while trying to look like he wasn’t hovering.   
Greg sat Jackie on his lap facing him. “Hello love.”  
“Pa!”   
“Yes, it’s me. You’re going to be spending some time with Uncle John and Uncle Sherlock tonight, okay? I know it’s a lot of change for you in the past couple days, but you’ll get through it.” He looked to John and Sherlock. “Mycroft emailed me her bedtime routine, if you look on my phone you can forward it to yourselves.”   
Sherlock scoffed. “She’s a baby, she’ll hardly notice.”  
“Babies need routine, Sherlock,” Greg scolded.  
“Don’t worry, we’ll make sure we follow the schedule,” John reassured him.   
“I packed a change of clothes and her police dog in her bag. You’ll have to pick up extra diapers.”   
“We already did,” John told him. “We’ve got this Greg, really.”   
Greg looked down at Jackie in his lap and sighed. “I know. I just feel like I’m letting her down. I was supposed to take care of her and I’ve failed that.”  
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Sherlock replied. “If anything, you’ve taken a murderer off the streets, thus keeping her safe.”  
“Sure.” Greg wasn’t convinced, but let it slide. He focused instead on Jackie, tickling her belly to make her laugh. She did, the force of it knocking her backward. She continued to laugh delightedly as Greg relentlessly tickled her, arms and legs kicking out involuntarily.   
Abruptly Greg stopped, leaning back and putting a hand to his head. “Dizzy spell,” he said, closing his eyes.   
“That’ll happen with a concussion,” John said softly. “Why don’t you close your eyes for a bit?”   
“Yeah, maybe I will.” Greg laid a kiss on Jackie’s head before handing her back, leaning back against his bed and closing his eyes. 

He woke to a hand shaking his shoulder. “Greg,” Sherlock said gently. “Wake up.”   
“What time is it?”  
“It’s been a couple of hours.”   
“Where’s Jackie?”  
“John took her home for the night. I’ll be keeping you company until he returns in the morning.”  
“Aren’t visiting hours over?”  
“Please, as if that would stop us,” Sherlock scoffed. Greg hummed in agreement. “Now, my brother is on the phone and wishes to speak to you.” Sherlock held out his cellphone towards Greg.   
Greg steeled himself before taking the phone. “Hello?”  
“Gregory, how are you feeling?” Mycroft’s voice was carefully controlled around the concern he was feeling.  
“Headachy, mostly. It’s just a concussion, love, no need to worry.”  
“And yet I find myself worrying.”  
“How are things going wherever you are?” Greg asked, ignoring Mycroft’s comment.  
“Fine, fine. Dealing with numerous useless politicians, wildly less eventful than your day, I would say.” He paused. “Please tell me you got the woman who did this to you?”  
Greg chuckled. “Of course. Well, Sally got her after I passed out. You really don’t need to worry, it’s really nothing.”  
“Much as I’d like to believe you, I have talked to John and therefore know you are downplaying your injury.”  
“It’s a scrape and a bump, nothing more.”  
“Agree to disagree,” Mycroft said drily. “John told me to tell you he will be bringing Jackie back tomorrow morning to visit. Now, I really must go and you really must rest. I miss you.”  
“I miss you too. Do you know when you’ll be back?”  
“As soon as I can manage. I love you.”  
“Love you. Bye.” Greg sighed as the line went dead, handing the phone back to Sherlock. Sadness was warring with exhaustion and the impossibly still-present headache pounding behind his eyes.   
“Perhaps you should sleep,” Sherlock said, looking uncomfortable at Greg’s visible distress.   
“Yeah, yeah I will,” Greg said, leaning back and closing his eyes. He felt a few tears leak out from behind his lids and let them fall, drifting off to sleep once more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg gets released from hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone!

Greg was released the next day under John’s care, and forced back to 221B.   
“Please just let me go home,” Greg begged as they walked up the stairs to the flat.   
“Stop being a drama queen and get upstairs. And don’t fall on me,” John groused from beside him.  
“I stopped feeling dizzy this morning. Don’t get your knickers in a knot.”  
John didn’t answer, just opened the door to the flat and let Greg in. Greg was met with the sight of Sherlock on the sofa, Jackie on his lap and still in her pajamas.   
“Pa!” She greeted when she saw him.  
“Jackie!” He grinned, placing his bag on the ground by the door and reaching his arms out towards her.   
Sherlock placed Jackie on the ground, and she toddled her way to Greg. He bent down, scooping her up and planting a big kiss on her cheek.   
“Now, what have you been up to since yesterday?”  
Jackie patted his nose. “Pa. Miss Pa.”  
“Jackie,” Greg breathed, tears getting caught in his throat. “I missed you too,” he said more clearly. “Did you have a good time with Uncle John and Uncle Sherlock?”  
“Yup!” Jackie fidgeted for a moment. “Down, Pa.”   
“Okay, here you go,” Greg set her on the ground. She got down on all fours and crawled towards her blocks on the floor. When she had plopped down on her bum, she looked back at Greg.  
“Pa,” she said, pointing to the blocks.   
Greg chuckled. “Alright.” He went and sat down behind Jackie, caging her between his legs. John hovered behind him, making sure he didn’t fall over. “John, would you like to join us?” Greg asked drily.   
John sat down, reaching forward and placing one block on top of another. Jackie watched for a moment before leaning forward and picking up a block, shakily placing it on top of the two blocks.   
“Good job, Jackie,” Greg whispered, placing another block on top of the tower. Jackie clapped once before leaning forward and knocking the tower over. Then she sat, looking expectantly at John.   
“Oh you want another, do you?” John asked.   
“Again!” Jackie confirmed. She looked over at Sherlock, who was still standing by the sofa. “Lock!” She pointed at the blocks. Sherlock chuckled and sat on Greg’s other side, leaning forward to build a tower. Jackie leaned forward after Sherlock had piled three blocks one on top of the other.  
“Wait, love,” Greg said, holding Jackie around the waist. “Let it get a little higher.”  
Sherlock placed a few more blocks on the tower before looking at Jackie. “Okay, go ahead.”  
Jackie gleefully leaned forward and knocked the tower over, giggling as it fell.   
“She never gets tired of that,” Greg said on a chuckle.   
“The joy of infants,” John agreed.   
Greg bit back a yawn as he nodded his head.   
“You should take a nap,” John said as he watched Greg rub his eyes.   
“I’m okay,” Greg argued, looking down at Jackie.  
“No you’re not,” John replied. “You’ve got a concussion and a slice on your head, which needs rest and de-stressing in order to heal.”   
Greg wanted to argue, but he was too tired and, loathe as he was to admit it, had started getting a little dizzy. “Fine,” he said after a moment. “But only a small nap. And only because you’re a doctor.”   
“Great. And when you get up I’ll change your bandage.”  
Greg reached up and fingered the bandage wrapped around his head. “Sure.”   
“We set up the bedroom upstairs for you and Jackie. Head on up, I’ll wake you in an hour.”  
“Thanks, John.”  
Greg leaned down and kissed Jackie on the top of the head before standing and walking up the stairs, ignoring the feel of John’s eyes on him.

He woke a little bit later, groggy but feeling more rested. He stretched and looked to his side, pausing. Jackie was on her back beside him fast asleep, her chest steadily rising and falling. He turned on his side and watched her, eye flicking behind her thin eyelids, a rosy tint decorating her cheeks. He smiled, relishing the quiet and peace that was a sleeping baby. Crawling carefully out of the bed, Greg crept down the stairs to the living room. Sherlock was sprawled on the sofa, hands steepled under his chin. John was sitting in his chair, reading.   
“Better?” John greeted him, putting down his book.  
“Yeah, ta,” Greg answered.   
“Good. I put Jackie down about ten minutes ago. Come sit in my chair and I’ll change your dressing.”   
Greg sat himself in the chair, humming in appreciation when John pushed a mug of tea in his hand.   
“Any extreme pain?”  
“No, just a headache.”  
“Any pulling?”  
“Nope.”  
“Good.”   
John reached up and started to unravel the thin layer of bandage around Greg’s head. He gingerly removed the padding covering the line of stitches near the base of Greg’s skull. Wincing in sympathy, John gently leaned Greg’s head forward so he could clean the stitches.  
“Okay?”  
“Yup.”  
John cleaned the cut, looking carefully for infection. Greg could feel John’s fingers working around the stitches in his head. He had closed his eyes when John tilted his head down, but they snapped open when he heard the door to the flat fly open.   
“Gregory,” Mycroft breathed when he saw him in the chair. Upstairs, Jackie let out a thin cry.   
Sherlock huffed and stood, swanning upstairs.   
“Mycroft!” Greg stood and rushed to Mycroft, who met him halfway and wrapped his arms around him. “I’m okay,” he reassured him, nuzzling into the crook of Mycroft’s neck.   
Mycroft pulled back and scanned him silently from head to toe.   
“You get everything done on your important trip?”  
“I did what I needed to. Others can take it from here. That’s what they’re being trained to do, after all.”  
“So you won’t have to go back?” Greg asked as Mycroft gently turned him, looking at the cut on his head.   
“Thankfully, no.” Mycroft gently touched the skin next to the stitches. “I was so worried,” he said softly, turning Greg so that he was facing him again.   
“I’m sorry,” Greg answered just as quietly, both of them caught in their own private bubble.   
“Not your fault. I’m just glad you are okay.” Mycroft gently cradled Greg’s face and brought their lips together, relishing the solidness of Greg beneath him.   
“If you don’t mind…” John interrupted, looking pointedly at Greg and then at the empty chair in front of him.   
“Sorry.” Greg pulled away and sat back down, Mycroft taking the chair across from him. Worry clouded his eyes as he watched John start to bandage up Greg. Sherlock arrived back downstairs, Jackie in his arms.  
“Da!” She squealed when she saw him, small frown turning into a bright smile.   
“Jackie!” Mycroft stood and took her from Sherlock, holding her close.   
“Da!” She repeated, hand moving towards Mycroft’s face. “Da home.”  
Mycroft chuckled delightedly. “A new word! Yes, I am home.”   
John finished re-bandaging Greg’s head. “All done.”  
“Thanks, mate.” Greg stood and moved to Mycroft, putting a hand on Jackie’s back. “I’m glad you’re back.”   
“Me too. Home?”  
“Yes please.”


End file.
